Stabenow: No agreement achieved on GMO labeling

As the Food and Drug Administration issued a series of decisions on genetically modified foods and their labeling today, a spokesperson for Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said that — contrary to statements from some lobbyists — "no agreement on a path forward has been reached" on the issue of the labeling of foods with genetically modified ingredients.

The House has passed a bill that would pre-empt state laws such as the one passed in Vermont that would require labeling in favor of a federal labeling system that critics say would result in almost no labeling.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association and its allies have been pushing the Senate to pass a similar measure, and lobbyists have told reporters in recent days that Stabenow was on the verge of signing off on a proposal.

"Sen. Stabenow believes that for any solution to pass the Senate, it must establish a national system of required disclosure that would ensure consumers get the information they want about their food, while also solving the problem of a 50-state patchwork of regulations," the spokesperson said.

"Sen. Stabenow is willing to play a leadership role on this issue but only if it can be done in a bipartisan way and if stakeholders are willing to step up and engage in meaningful ways," the spokesperson added.